What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to stacking slabs, your hobby content alternative. It's the flagship. It is an opportunity each week where I get to have a conversation with you about a topic that is on my mind.

And what we have been digging into is the content from the book that I put out earlier this year, collecting for keeps finding meaning in a hobby build on hype and going chapter by chapter.

And we're not reading the book, but we're understanding the themes of each of those chapters and how it applies to the world we're living in in the current market. And I'm fired up for today's topic.

We're gonna be talking about building with intention, the CEO mindset for your PC. One of the top five catch phrases that have has made it from the start of stacking slabs all the way to today is you're the CEO of your PC.

And I believe that more now than ever before, we don't get to be the decision maker in everything we do in our personal and professional life.

We got bosses to report to. I know I'm not the boss in my own house. I would imagine for many of you, it's the same thing.

And collecting in cards gives us the opportunity to take ownership, full ownership, set the vision to build on our own accord and with our own thoughts and opinions at the forefront, which I think absolutely kicks ass.

And I think we need to remind ourselves that, especially as we enter this era where there is a lot going on and a lot of distractions. So we're gonna be unpacking that in today's episode.

If you're enjoying stacking slabs, hit the follow button, tell a damn friend, run on over the Patreon group, and a special shout out to my good friends at Inferno Red Technology for hosting the flagship episode of stacking Slabs.

Inferno Red Technology is the engineering team behind some of the biggest names in sports and collectibles like DC Sports eighty seven, Comsea Collectors Upper Deck, and eBay from AI powered solutions for startups to full stack platforms for industry leaders.

Their team can tackle your toughest technology challenge. They build awesome software for the hobby for leagues and fans and for everyone in between.

See what they can build for you at infernored. com. This is gonna be fun, and I want us to think about our collection and the decisions we make throughout this episode.

The question I'm asking is, what am I really building with my collection when the market is ripping and prices are soaring and there's new must have cards popping up daily?

That question has been on my mind a lot. It's easy to get swept up in the hype.

That's what our hobby is built on. We're a hobby built on hype, chasing the big sales, the pot prospects. But lately, many of us have paused to reflect on our own habits, and I have done this a lot.

When we scroll through our own collections and we we wonder, is this right? Am I just reacting to the market, or am I building something that truly matters to me?

And I think every collector hits this point where we look at our cards and think, what am I building? And that question matters, and I think it's the first step towards collecting with intention.

And in this episode, I want to explore how we can transition from reactionary collecting to collecting with purpose even in a frenzied market where there are a lot of bells and whistles, shiny objects to distract us.

And it's really at its core about bringing a CEO mindset to your personal collection, setting that clear vision, crafting the strategy, and being very goal oriented in order to build a collection that means something to you.

And I think this will be informative, hopefully, but also maybe very personal because like many of you, I've been questioning kinda how I'm going about my business.

So let's dig in, and let's start with navigating the bull market trap. If you've been doing this and collecting long enough, you know that there are different eras of the hobby, and we learn from these eras.

And it's really easy to understand the COVID market and then what happened afterwards into what were the current market we're in.

And if you've been a part of that, there's some things that I'm sure you've learned and you're taking with you in the current state.

And if you haven't been a part of that, I think it's always good to go back and look at data and maybe previous conversations. That's the benefit of what where we're currently at in the hobby is there's documentation.

And I like, I've been creating content this whole time. So I've got content and people talking about these different markets and what's happening from that period of time to where we're at today.

And so I think content can be your friend here. Cards you bought for a $100 last year might be $300 today. We're seeing auction prices get shattered monthly.

If it can feel like if you don't grab something right now, whether it's a, card of a warmed up set, PC player, hot rookie, rare insert, whatever it is, it's this feeling like you'll never get another shot.

And so I think we as collectors, we start reacting to every spike and sizzle and impulsively buying what's trending, jumping on bandwagons, and essentially letting the market dictate our moves.

I'm I try to be very cautious and mindful of this in my own personal collecting, and I think many of you do too, but it's undeniable, like, as someone who looks at Instagram every day, even collectors who I've thought had everything they need in one and a strategy in place, I see collectors veering off.

And I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's just a reminder.

Like, we should take ownership, and we should end up buying cards based on our circumstance and intention that align with our purpose and what we're doing and our identity as opposed to just jumping on what we see or what other people are seeing.

And so the reactionary collecting can be exciting. Don't get me wrong, but it's also very risky. And when we're chasing the crowd, we often end up overpaying and accumulating things that don't fit in our collection.

By the time everyone is hyping up a card, the value is likely inflated beyond reason. And so chasing the trend at that point can leave a lot of collectors holding the bag.

And I think with the CEO mindset and collecting with intention, you're never really holding the bag because the card you're buying, you want the cards, and you're not hoping and praying that the cards go up.

And I think more importantly, collecting on impulse can leave you with the case of buyer's remorse, when the frenzy dies down.

And if you don't have some kind of plan or system, we risk making decisions based on fear, money, or FOMO, and that's where the regret really kicks in.

And I'm sure many of you felt this. I have felt this, and I know I have, because bought cards because I I I felt like that's what I should do based on what I'm seeing.

But then when the card comes, I ask myself, like, why did I get this? And so intentional collecting is the is the antidote to the reactionary trap.

It it it means slowing down and remembering your reasons for being in the hobby Instead of letting outside hype decide what your next purchase is going to be, you decide as a collector.

I'm gonna flip this script. You set the vision for your collection and let that vision guide what you chase or maybe more importantly, what you ignore.

When you stop collecting on autopilot, you start running your personal collection with intention, focus, and strategy.

So every card you buy becomes a conscious decision that fits into a bigger story, and the idea is to treat your collection like a project that matters because it doesn't.

For me, it's moving into this mindset of collecting projects and building connection points within my collection has been a very pivotal moment for me as a collector, and it's given me purpose and intention, and it has caused me to value certain cards in a in a way.

And I think about that when I piece together my Colts Prism collection. The the chance of, you out there valuing a 2014 Dante Moncrief Gold Prism rookie the same as me is is likely not the case.

That is a card I missed out on auction or I missed out when I was on eBay. Shout out my good friend, Paul. He was able to get it.

It's the only card I I I I don't have out of Dante Moncrief's gold Colts Gold Prism run. Well, the crazy thing is he's got four years of it, but I don't have his rookie. So that eats me up inside, and I want that card.

I want it really bad. Yeah, Dante Moncrief isn't an all time great Colts player. But, man, I remember the excitement I had with him and luck and that connection and some of these success that they had.

And I had his jersey, and I've got his gold prism run, sans his 2014 gold prism rookie, which is 2014 is such a sick year, maybe my favorite year.

And I need that card. So if you got that card, let me know. I'll probably pay more for it than anyone else.

But that's what that's what collecting is intent with intention is all about. And in the bull market, this the mindset is really important, and it gives us permission to opt out of the frenzy when something doesn't align with my goal.

So I'm obsessing over collecting players like Dante Moncrief and a gold prism because it's part of a collection and project that I'm building as opposed to getting distracted.

Like, it's repellent. My Dante Moncrief pursuit is repellent.

And by the way, I'll also say, like, if you got if you got the black finite of that card or any Dante Moncrief black finites, get at me. Please get at me at stacking slabs. It's simple, but it's like, do I actually care about this card?

That's a question. Does it belong to my story? If not, just pass on it. There'll be other cards. There will always be another high train, but your core vision as a collector should stay as steady as a compass.

So one of the best ways to collect with intention or from my experience to collect with intentions is defining a clear theme or project for your collection.

When your collection has a unifying identity, it becomes much easier to focus. Instead of buying a little of everything, you have a guiding start. Specific player, team, era, set, concept that all of your pickups revolve around.

This not only makes your decision making simpler, it makes your collection more meaningful. I think of it this way, a random assortment of cool cards might be fun, but a collection built around a theme tells a story.

I think the best collectors in the hobby or the collectors that I enjoy the most narrate a specific thing with their collection that interests me, and I'm sure lights them up because why else would they be doing it?

So when I when you see a collector who only pulls out cards that fit a certain narrative and they light up telling you why each card matters, you can tell they've got that vision.

The collection makes sense. It's a it's cohesive, and it has a purpose. It wasn't built overnight, and it wasn't built by accident. It was built card by card with a plan in mind.

So how do you give your collection that sense of identity? And I think it starts with asking yourself what matters most to you in the hobby. It could be your favorite hometown team or heroes.

That's that's my lane. I love my city. I love Indianapolis. I'm born here. I I I've I've always loved it here, and a big reason why I love it here is my teams, my connection with my teams.

I understand player collectors and people who chase players. Like, it's a big part of the hobby for sure, and I love a lot of players. But what matters to me more than anything else is the the teams.

That's that's my thing. I love my teams. You could love a beloved player too, childhood idol player who you grew up, who resonated with you, and you might center your whole collection around that.

You might enjoy a specific error set. Some collectors are passionate about eras. Others may be a particular set design. Nineties collectors, pre war collectors.

Think about all those groups. A theme or a story. You might have criteria that can be more conceptual, like collecting rookie cards or hall of famers or cards that feature a piece of game use material or champions from each year.

That key is your theme, something that excites you and gives you a mission. I think by establishing criteria like these, you create a personal framework for what you'll collect.

Then when you're elevating or excuse me. Then when you're evaluating a potential pickup, you can look at it through a lens. Does this fit my theme or or criteria?

If it does, great. If not, you can move on knowing that passing will free you up for the cards that truly belong. When I think about my own journey, I mentioned my Indianapolis centric approach. That one is big for me.

And there's so many different ways to slice and dice it. I collect Colts prism cards, and then I also collect Colts ring of honor guys. And when I mean ring of honor, the guys that have been put into the, Colts hall of fame.

The different projects within that are exciting. They allow me to explore different lanes in different eras, and it gives me the autonomy to decide which cards and which cards don't fit within that.

But the central force is the tie back to hometown team. I've collected Pacers, tried to figure out my the way I go about it. Well, it was really easy after this last year where it was like, okay.

My primary focus with my collection when it comes to Pacers are going to be is going to be centered around this twenty twenty four, twenty five Pacers team because of the impact it made.

The point, I think, is defining your lanes. You give your PC identity when you define them. Your criteria that you create as the CEO of your PC drives everything.

Maybe you care deeply about scarcity or aesthetics or a player story. Whatever your criteria is, you embrace it. It doesn't matter if the card is very, very hot and people love it.

An example is I've been collecting Jonathan Taylor ever since he's a rookie, and now it seems like for the first time, collectors are saying, oh, Jonathan Taylor's good.

And I don't care if people are have it are more attracted to him now because he's crushing it.

Like, what what what what I that that it doesn't change for me because it's a part of my framework. I think over time, the more you stick to your vision, the fewer random cars you have to purge because they'll never belong.

So there's always, like, this mentality, especially when you're CEO of your PC and, like, one of the greatest skills is blocking out distractions.

And I think even with a strong vision and theme, staying focused isn't always easy, especially in a bull market.

The hobby will is overloaded with distractions, shiny objects. Think about all of the products, influencers, breaks, everything trying to vie for your attention.

I think social media posts showing big hits, influencer hype around prospects, collectors raving about new sets, the general statement of everyone's buying this card right now.

Don't miss out. All of these things can plant seeds of doubt in your mind, and you might start second guessing. Maybe I should be buying this too. It's natural. We're social creatures. We're inspired and influenced by others.

I think in psychological terms, it's this social proof in herd behavior that takes over. But in collecting terms, it can be a fast track to losing your identity and ending up with cards you truly don't care about.

So how do we manage these distractions? I found it helps to have a personal filter or that sniff test. Right? Does this card or project align with my vision? Am I genuinely excited about this, or do I feel pressure?

Will I care about this card in a year? What am I giving up by buying this? There's been a lot of instances for me, especially on my journey where I've had to decide, does this card fit within this project that I'm building?

And a lot of this comes with me shrinking the sea and saying, culturing of honor players.

Because what would happen is I would get distracted and pick up a random card of a random player that I really liked, but it didn't align with the set or it didn't really align with my purpose.

And the only there was no influencers pumping those. I was distracting myself because buying that card in that moment sounded good or or or or felt good. But the question I asked myself is, does this card complete something for me?

And what I'd find out was no, and so then I would get rid of it. It especially when you're obsessed with your team, it's really easy to go down a lot of different rabbit holes, and trying to shrink the sea has been really important.

And once I framed that it that way, I decided to be more focused. I couldn't say that a card complete if I couldn't say a card completes something for me, I'd likely pass.

No matter how much the market buzz there was, the approach checking hype against my own personal criteria saves me from distraction buys.

And remember, just because something is cool or hot doesn't necessarily mean it's for you. And collecting with intention sometimes means saying no to awesome cards that simply align don't align with your vision, and I think that's okay.

I think one more thing to watch. And, again, if you're like me, this is a good reminder. But it's the multitude of projects. As collectors, we have multiple interests, and that's fun. But be aware of stretching yourself too thin.

If you have too many themes or goals at once, everything can be a distraction. You might find yourself constantly reacting just to keep up with your different projects. It can help to prioritize a few core projects as the at at a time.

You can put the rest on the back burner. I think at the end of the day, the market noise can be exhilarating, but you have to you don't have to chase everything that flashes in in those bright lights.

By keeping one eye on your own paper, your plan, you'll enjoy the hobby through whatever wave or error we're in.

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. So when I think about the c the CEO of a PC my mindset, I think it's just it's important to con continue to reiterate that with ourselves.

And the mindset has been a game changer for me. It it means treating my personal collection with the same clarity and vision and purpose and strategy that great business leaders would bring to their company.

And after all, your collection is one of the biggest personal ventures and likely investments that you're making.

It involves capital assets and a ton of decision making, and it yields emotional returns. And, yes, potentially financial returns too. It's like running running it like a business doesn't mean you should only care about profit.

It means you care about direction and outcome. As I like to say, you don't have to collect like a hedge fund manager, but you do have to collect like someone who gives a damn.

Within that, there's flexibility, focus, and follow through. So when I think about the CEO framework for my collection, it is setting a clear vision.

What is the mission statement for your PC? Every successful company starts with a vision or mission, a clear idea of why they exist and what they try to achieve. Your collection should have the same.

Take some time to define what you want your collection to represent. Is it celebrating hometown team, showcasing goats, whatever. Every card you acquire should serve that vision in a way. You develop a strategy.

A strategy is all about how you will achieve the vision. In collecting, that means defining how you will allocate resources to make a decision. A good general manager of a sports team doesn't just randomly sign players.

They scout, they budget, and they think about the immediate needs versus the future potential. Similarly, as the g GM, the CEO of your collection considers things like, what is my budget?

How do I allocate across projects? How much hobby funds will this big rail cost for smaller additions? It's setting money aside. It's making decisions.

It's thinking strategically. It's thinking critically. It's also establishing goals and milestones. A vision can feel abstract unless you break it down into concrete goals. CEOs set quarterly targets. You can set collecting goals.

These can be outcome oriented, like you wanna complete a set by x about a period or you're looking to land a card that you haven't seen in months. But I think goals give you something tangible to work towards and celebrate.

They also help you measure progress. And without them, we drift off. With them, you get that little dopamine hit every time you achieve a milestone, and that's cool.

It allows us to set a budget. It allows us to be focused. I think CEO mindset is managing your resources wisely. Any CEO has to manage capital inventory relationships. In the hobby, your resources include money, time, network.

Being intentional means thinking about opportunity costs. If you tie up a thousand dollars in one card, that money isn't available and something out to buy something else. So you make sure it's the right card back to the vision.

I think being a CEO means networking too. Don't be a lone wolf. I don't think it's as much fun. I just think it's it's too critical, especially if you're taking ownership to source information from other collectors.

This isn't about being rigid. It's about staying flexible and having follow through. Having a plan is fantastic. I think being rigid can be a pitfall.

The hobby changes its dynamic. I've seen people who've just stuck to their guns and say, I'm doing this this way in one way, and the whole world's shifting around it and end up paying more for cards that are valued less.

You're allowed to pivot. If new direction will make you happier, it doesn't mean what you've done previously failed.

It means you're steering the ship with intention. As I remind myself, you're the CEO of your PC. You're allowed to make decisions that work for you.

The craziest thing that I come across is that I find out, like, people wanna get credit cards, but they feel like they can't because they feel like it's part of their brand and identity.

Don't care what other people think or say. Move on, baby. If there's something else you wanna move on towards, do it. You're the freaking CEO of your PC. Bringing all these pieces together is important.

The CEO mindset essentially boils down collecting with a purpose in every step because you're likely picking quality over quantity and you're going after cards with enduring meaning or demand.

In other words, you're focused on, beating this, like, frantic pace we have in the hobby to focus in on what we want and being very intentional about it.

I've talked about my my collecting. It didn't it didn't happen overnight. It didn't happen without going through pitfalls, without struggling, without evolving, without asking myself the questions.

But right now, I feel like I'm in such a good place, and I have purpose and meaning, and it fires me up. If I know when I see a card that fits within my strategy or vision and it pops up, I know it instantly.

It's a signal. Whenever I have to think too much about it, I walk away. And that doesn't happen overnight. It's happened with experience, and it's happened with time.

I think we need to build what matters and what the rest will follow. Stepping back, I think the journey from reactionary collecting to intentional collecting is all about ownership, not of cards, but of your purpose.

It's about running your collection instead of it running you. When you adopt the CEO mindset, you become much more than just a buyer of cards. You become a builder of personal legacy.

I think a funny thing happens when you start collecting with clear intention. The hobby becomes even more enjoyable, and, yes, you might buy fewer cards than the flipper next to you or skip out on some frenzied chase for a hot rookie.

But the cards you do acquire bring you greater joy and satisfaction, and each addition feels like it belongs, and that is really important.

Being intentional can feel like swimming against the tide, but it's worth it. The bull market that we're in right now won't last forever.

You'll be glad you built something for yourself rather than what was happening or the environment around you. I think your collection will stand on the strength of its meaning, not just market value.

And I ironically, those tend to be the collections that hold the best value over time. So as you reflect on your own collecting, and I encourage you to do that, remember, you don't need to chase more cards.

You need to chase the right cards. You are the CEO of your PC. Collect like someone who cares. If your collection reflects who you are and what you love, you've already won. Remember that.

I love this hobby. I love collecting sports cards, and I really appreciate the opportunity to talk cards with you each and every week, especially here on the flagship episode of Stacking Slabs, your hobby content alternative.

I'm Brett. I create content in this space. I collect sports cards. Thank you so much for listening. I'll talk to you soon.